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Syco confirms it will withdraw Rhythmix trademark application

By | Published on Thursday 10 November 2011

Syco

Simon Cowell’s Syco company has confirmed it is abandoning its attempts to trademark the name Rhythmix. As previously reported, the music firm put in an application to trademark the name in the music space after a girl group created on the ‘X-Factor’ show picked it as their moniker. But the name is already used by a music education charity, which feared that if ‘X’ got the trademark in music it could hinder its fundraising activities.

After initially dismissing the charity’s objections, and following an online campaign and open letter from the charity’s boss to Syco chief Simon Cowell, Team X finally announced the girl group would use an alternative name, Little Mix. But earlier this week the Rhythmix charity issued another statement complaining that Syco hadn’t actually withdrawn its trademark application, and that reps for ‘X-Factor’ had stopped responding to the charity’s correspondence.

A spokesman for Syco yesterday told reporters: “Syco are happy to withdraw the application for the trademark, as initially offered at the time of the name change [by the Rhythmix girl group] to Little Mix”.

The music and telly company added that the initial delay in withdrawing the trademark application came about because it offered to transfer the trademark to the Rhythmix charity. Bosses at the charity confirmed to The Guardian that they did receive said offer, but added that they immediately knocked it back because it came with conditions that would prevent them from commenting on the conduct of the various companies involved in ‘X-Factor’, and that they had since heard nothing more from Syco or its lawyers.

Having confirmed the Rhythmix trademark application would definitely be withdrawn, the Syco spokeswoman said that the company now considers the matter closed. Though it might not be just yet. Rhythmix boss Mark Davyd says the charity has run up legal bills of £8000 dealing with ‘X-Factor’ producers on this matter, mainly because they initially refused to change their girl group’s name, and he wants the show to cover those costs so it won’t impact on his organisation’s educational work. Team Syco are yet to respond about that.



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